Method of and machine for expressing moisture from leather



No. 6l9,6l4. Pa tanted Feb. l4, I899. E. .1. F. uumm.

METHOD OF AND MACHINE FOR EXPRESSING MOISTURE FROM LEATHER.

(Application filed Mar. 27, 1897.)

3 Shaefs-Sheet I.

(N0 Model.)

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No. 6l9,6l4. Patented Feb. l4, I899.

E. J. F. UUIBIN. METHOD OF AND MACHINE FOB EXPRESSING MOISTURE FROM LEATHER.

(Application filed Mar. 27, 1897.)

s Sheets- Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

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No. 6I9,6l4. Patented Feb. I4, 1899.

' E. J. F. QUIR'N.

7 METHOD OF AND MACHINE FOR EXPRESSING MOISTURE FROM LEATHER.

(Application filed Mar. 27, 1897.) (No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EMIL J. FQQUIRIN, OF TIOGA CENTRE, NEW YORK.

METHOD OF AND MACHlNE FOR EXPRESS [N6 MOISTURE FROM LEATHER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 619,614, dated February 14, 1899. Application filed March 27,1897. Serial No. 629,591. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EMIL J. F. QUIRIN, of Tioga Centre, in the county of Tioga, State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Methods of and Machines for Expressing Moisture from Leather, of which the following is a complete specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

The object of my invention is to provide means for expressing the water or liquor out of leather after it has been tanned, so as to reduce the leather at one operation to a uni form dampness.

Heretofore in leather manufacture in order to produce a uniform dampness in the leather it has been necessary first to completely dry it and afterward to wet it down uniformly. The process of rewetting the dried leather requires care and skill in its performance and is a comparatively slow and expensive one. Attempts have been made to employ ordinary wringing-machines to accomplish the result; but such attempts have been unsuccessful, owing to the peculiar structure of the material to be treated. Leather consists,

essentially, of a continuous comparatively impermeable membrane densely interspersed With minute pores or capillaries. The pores or capillaries are located transversely in the skins, so that their ends open through the sides thereof. When a skin is soaked or moistened, the capillaries become to a greater or less extent filled, so that in order to express the moisture from the skin it is necessary to compress the membranous walls of the capillaries.

Attempts to express the water from the soaked skin by ordinary methods or by use of apparatus embodying dense or hard compression members or rollers-such, for example, as rubber, cork, and the likehave been unsuccessful, because the opposing faces of the compression members or rollers close the ends of the pores or capillaries in the skin, thereby occluding the moisture within the impermeablesidewalls of the pores, respectively, and the compression members, which close upon the ends of the pores and constitute impermeable end walls for the pores.

I propose to surmount the difficulties heretofore experienced in the art by the employment of compression members one of which, and preferably both, has a porous or absorbent face, whereby means of egress for the liquid contained within the pores is provided when the walls of the pores are subjected to pressure.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure I is an end view of a preferred form of my appara tus adapted to be employed in carrying out my method. Fig. II is a similar view taken from the opposite end. Fig. III isa front elevation of my machine, showing the rollers separated. Fig. IV is a rear elvation of the same. Fig. V is a central vertical section of my machine on a reduced scale, showing the mechanism in the position in which the rollers are closed.

Referring to the figures on the drawings, 1 and 2 indicate uprights, which united, as by cross-pieces 3 and 4, constitute two end pieces that are adapted to be united, as by means of framing-pieces 5, 6, and 7, (all indicated in Fig. V,) into a suitable frame, upon which may be assembled the component elements of my apparatus. The frame, with its component parts, illustrated in the drawings is presented only by way of example. Within suitable bearings 8 upon the end piece of the frame I provide a main driving-shaft 9, to which is secured at one end a belt-pulley 10, illustrated as an example of means of applying power to rotate the shaft. The shaft 9 is also provided with a fixed pinion 11, that meshes with a gear 12, fixed to a shaft 13, revolubly mounted in the end pieces, as in boxes 14. The function of the shaft 13 will hereinafter appear. The shaft 9 is also provided with a fixed sprocket-pinion 15, which meshing with a sprocket-band 16, communicates motion through a sprocket-wheel17 with a roller-shaft 18, to which the sprocket-Wheel is secured. The roller-shaft 18 is revolubly carried upon the frame, as in boxes 19, secured to the front edge of the end pieces, between which it carries an upper roller 20, illustrated as one of the compression members of my apparatus, the roller form being pre ferred as being continuous.

The roller 20 cooperates with a second roller or compression member 21, which is secured to a shaft 22, working in suitable boxes upon the end pieces. The shaft 18, upon which the roller is mounted, derives its rotation, as above specified, from the sprocket-band 16 and in turn communicates motion to the shaft 22, being for that purpose provided at its opposite ends with gear-wheels 23, adapted to mesh with corresponding. gears 24, secured to the opposite extremities of the shaft 22. The gears 23 and 24 are caused to intermesh when the roller 21 is urged toward the roller 20, but are disengaged by the separation of the rollers.

The boxes 19, in which the shaft 18 is supported, preferably slide in vertical gates 25, in which they are yieldingly depressed, as by a spring 26, whose tension may be regulated by a thumb-screw 27, working through a crosspiece 28 against a head-block 29.

The rollers 20 and 21 may be made of any suitable material adapted to resist strain. They may be hard and unyielding or they may be elastic or semi-elastic. I propose to limit myself to no particular material, but to select such as may be found to be best available, some materials being preferable for certain kinds of leather and others for different kinds.

Upon the surface or surfaces of one or both of the rollers 20 and 21 I provide a suitable layer of porous material, which material may be incorporated into the structure of the roller or rollers; but I prefer, in order that the porous surface may be readily renewable, to

employ loose bands 30 and 31 of thick porous i fabric or felt. It is essential to the carrying out of my method that the porous surfaces or hands 30 and 31, as illustrated, be and continue porous throughout the compressing operation.

In practice the bands 30 and 31 are required to be approximately one-fourth to one-half of an inch in thickness. Otherwise when pressure is applied they become practically nonporous and fail either in whole or in part to perform their office.

One of the principal objects of my invention being to produce a uniform degree of moisture in the leather to be treated, it is essential that the porous or absorbent surfaces be adapted to perform their office with complete reliability.

In the employment of loose bands 30 and 31 it is desirable to embodyin the machine bandtension mechanism, which may consist simply of a pair of rollers adapted to take up the slack of the respective bands. The roller 32, carried in brackets 33 upon the edge of the end pieces of the frame, is provided for the band 30, the springs 26 serving to depress the shaft 18, with its roller 20, and thereby to keep the band 30 taut and smooth.

The shaft 22 extends through the gates 25 and is supported in suitable independent bearings therein that are adapted to be used for elevating and depressing the shaft 22. Such a bearing (indicated at 34 in the drawings) is formed upon the head of the upper member 35 of a toggle-lever, whose lower member 36 is pivoted to it, as indicated at 37, and which is in turn pivotally supported upon one of the end pieces, as indicated at 38. Two togglelevers are provided, one for each side of the frame, so that by their cooperation the shaft 22, with its roller 21, may be forced with equal pressure throughout its length toward the roller 20. Inasmuch, therefore, as the toggle member 35 is movable to elevate and depress the shaft 22, I mount the tension-roller 39 in suitable bearings upon the opposite members 35, so as to maintain a uniform tension upon the band 31. I prefer to actuate the togglelevers in both directions for the purpose of elevating and depressing the shaft 22 through the employment of that which I shall call toggle-lever-actuating mechanism, operatively connected with the shaft 13, above specified. The mechanism which I prefer to employ for that purpose consists of two oblong rectangular frames 40, that are connected, respectively, with the toggle-levers, as by means of a bar 41, constituting an extension of one side of the frame and incorporated with the pivotal connection 37 that unites the members 35 and 36 of the toggle-levers.

The upper and lower inner walls of the frame 40 are provided with racks 42 and 43, respeotively, which are adapted through change i of position of the frame 40 to alternately inter- I mesh with a pinion 44, secured to the shaft 13.

Upon the cross-piece 4, in suitable bearin gs 45, I provide a rock-shaft 46, to the opposite ends of which, respectively, are secured arms 47 ,whose free ends terminate, respectively, in shoes 48, that engage the lower sides of the frames 40, respectively. A lever 49, secured to the shaft 46 and projecting toward the front of the machine, affords means for imparting movement to the rock-shaft 46 and of raising and lowering the frames 40. A pressure upon the foot-lever serves to raise the frames 40 and to bring their racks 43 into engagement with their respective pinions 44 on the shaft 13. Release of the lever 49 allows the frames to drop by gravity, thereby disengaging the racks 43 from the pinions 44 and engaging the racks 42 therewith.

By the arragement above specified constant movement of the shaft 13 is made available to impart intermittent reciprocatory movement to the frames 40 and their respective arms 41, thereby placing the operation of the toggle-levers and the roller 21, which they support, within complete control of the operator.

In proximity to the upper roller 20 I provide an independent smoothing-roller 50, secured to a shaft 51, that is carried in boxes 52 and is independently driven, as by a beltpulley 53. The roller is provided with a series of parallel-disposed spiral ribs 54, that are arranged upon opposite sides of the medial transverse plane of the roller, as clearly illustrated in Fig. IV. The office of the ribbed roller 50 is to keep the material presented to the'rollers 20 and 21 smooth and unwrinkled.

My method consists in presenting the material to be treated between compression membersfor example, the rollers 20 and 21one of which is provided with 'a suitable porous or absorbent surface and afterward applying sufficient pressure to compress the walls of the pores or capillaries of the leather and to express the moisture contained within the pores from the ends thereof and through the porous body of the permeable compressionsurface.

The operation of my machine may be described as follows: Power being applied to the pulley 10 and the several parts being in operation in the direction of the various arrows upon the drawings continuous rotation is imparted to the roller 20 and the shaft 13. Normally the roller 21 is separated from the roller 20, as clearly shown in Fig. III of the drawings, and is in that position inactive. The operator then introduces the skin to be treated (indicated by the reference-numeral in Fig. V of the drawings) between the ribbed roller 50 and the roller 20, covered, as illustrated, by the band 30, as well as between the latter roller and the covered roller 21. (See Fig. V.) The skin is preferably slipped between the rollers 20 and 21 until one-half of it hangs in front of the roller 21, as illustrated in Fig. V. Thereupon by foot-pressure applied to the lever 49 the operator elevates the frames 40, bringing the racks 43 in engagement with their respective pinions 44 and actuating the toggle-levers to press the roller 21 against the roller 20, as illustrated in Fig. V. When the roller 21 is elevated, the gears 23 and 24 intermesh and rotate together. By this means the skin 55 is compressed and passed between the rollers 20 and 21. When the skin is released from the rollers, the operator, re lieving the lever 49 of pressure, causes the rollers 20 and 21 to separate and, reversing the skin, feeds it through the machine, as before. This operation may be continued, if necessary, until the requisite degree of moisture 0r dryness of the skin is attained.

In carrying out my process I propose to take the skins directly from the tan-vats, because in that way I obtain a considerable saving of expense in the manufacture of leather. It is obvious, however, that my method may be employed to express the moisture from a previously-wetted skin, whether it has been Wetted in the tanning process or subsequently thereto.

What I claim is- 1. The method of reducingleather, or similar material to a uniform dampness, which consists in wetting the material to be treated, next spreading it between compression members, one of which is porous, and finally subjecting the compression members to pressure, so as to force the liquid from the pores of the leather into the porous body of the permeable compression member, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination with a frame, compres sion-rollers and intermediate body of porous material, of a smoothing-roller revolubly mounted in the frame in juxtaposition to the compression-rollers, and roller-actuating mechanism, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination with a frame, compression-rollers, and intermediate body of porous material, of a spirally-ribbed smoothingroller revolubly mounted in the frame injuxtaposition to the compression-rollers, and roller-actuating mechanism, substantially as set forth.

4. The combination with a frame, roller and roller-actuating mechanism, of a second roller movable to and from the first-named roller, a lever supporting the same, a constantly-rotatory shaft, and intermittent leveractuating mechanism operativelyconnecting the lever and the shaft, substantially as set forth.

5. The combination with a frame, roller,

and roller-actuating mechanism of a secondroller movable to and from the first-named roller, toggle-lever-supporting mechanism, a frame operatively connected with the togglelever-supporting mechanism, a constantly-rotatory shaft working within the frame, a pinion upon the shaft, oppositely-disposed racks IOO 

